Pearl
by ThatSelectedLunarCat
Summary: A story about Pearl's life after the rebellion.


"She's dead," said the doctor. "She died 5 minutes ago. Linh Pearl, I am very sorry for your loss."

Pearl couldn't believe it. Her mother, her last family member, was dead. She sat in the hard, plastic hospital chair and just stared. She stared at the blank, white wall. Her whole world had shattered. It was broken, broken into a million pieces. Nothing would ever take the place of the way her mother made her feel. Now she was this. No family. Empty. Hollow. That was Pearl.

She stood up, walking like the shadow of herself, like the shadow of the girl she used to be. Out of the lobby, following the med droid, vision blurring by the tears that fell. A harsh scream broke out of another room. Pearl ignored it. Probably some stupid lunar getting some stupid implant. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered. Walking. Walking. More walking. No mom. No one. She hurt all over. Everywhere.

"Would you like to comn anyone?" asked the med droid.

"Yes, my boyfriend. And my sister." Pearl regretted it immediately. It wasn't like stupid Cinder would care anyway.

The comns went through. The med droid turned for what seemed like the hundredth time, down another blank narrow corridor, and led her to a room. 795. She would remember that number forever. It would be burned into her heart forever. The door opened. A name tag above the bed read _Adri_. It was her mother. But not her mother. A diluted version of her mother. A pale, ghostly version of her mother. A dead version of her mother. It was not okay. Nothing was okay.

Ben burst into the room, panting like he had just run a long way. When he saw Adri, his face crumpled. He ran to her, held her in his arms. She cried, tears streaming down her face. Mourning. Blurred vision. Sobs. Everything. She knew she couldn't give up now, even though most of her wanted to. Not when Ben was here. He loved her, and that was all that mattered.

"I got the comn and ran here as fast as I could. Pearl, she was an amazing woman. I'm so sorry." He held her tighter. He was crying now too. She knew he loved Adri, almost as much as she did.

She broke away from Ben's embrace and ran to the bed. She took her mother's hand and cried out in shock. It was ice cold. She was so stupid. What did she expect, for her mother to wake up? No, she was dead. That was the reality. First her father, then Peony, then Ember, her daughter, who had died an hour after being born, and now her mother. Pearl had a terrible life.

Later that night, in her bed, all she could think about was Adri. But nothing good. When she tried sleeping, she had that one nightmare of her mother, the nightmare she had for years. Cinder was sitting on the floor, her wound had opened up again. The metal on her ankle was going to rust, but Pearl had known no one would clean it. They had just had an argument, Cinder was saying she needed a new foot. Pearl could see why, but money was so tight, that it could never happen. Adri still hadn't gotten over Garan's death. She was banging Cinder's foot against the table in rage. Cinder was sitting, crying, on the inside, the stupid cyborg couldn't cry. "Give me back my foot." she was saying, but their mother hadn't listened. Pearl had never really cared, she detested Cinder, always had, but for some reason, the dream, memory, nightmare, had always come back. It was haunting her, making her feel guilty for the stupid little cyborg. She had hated Cinder, and now she paid the price. Now, even with Ben by her side, she was alone. She was alone in her black hole of grief, guilt, and nightmares.

Pearl went to sleep again. This time, a different memory took the place of the old one, as if it wanted to be re-lived to. It was again about Cinder and Adri. Peony was standing next to her, her face fragile and scared. Cinder was about 15 and was already known as the best mechanic. Adri had her prosthetic hand in a bowl of cold water, soaking it. Cinder's hand was not waterproof. Pearl, without knowing, had moved over to her sister, and taken her mother's place, holding Cinder's hand down. The cyborg was yelling at her, screaming at her, threatening her. That was when Pearl felt it, the pain of the knife, the blood in the water. She jumped back in shock, just as she had 8 years ago. She watched, helplessly, as Adri grabbed Cinder's arm and yanked her into her stall. She heard Cinder yelling as Adri pulled off her foot. She heard Peony crying. She heard the screams of pain. Pearl woke up screaming.

As the neighbors paid their respects, Pearl was silent. She was tired of this. Of people saying these fake things, "missing" her mom. Nobody had loved her but Garan and Pearl. She didn't care when the lady who lived across the street cried because she knew it was fake. The whole world hated Adri, and they had hated her for the last 7 years, all because of that stupid cyborg. It was always Cinder's fault, everything was Cinder's fault, including the failed surgery that killed their mother.

Some "princess" had come to their house, practically banging down the door, scanning them like animals, and throwing them in the hover, and speeding away from their house, the only place they belonged. They had been rushed to the hospital, placed in separate rooms, and strapped down with velcro. The cut of the knife in her neck was the last thing she remembered before the doctors woke her up and told her that her mother's operation had failed and that she was going to die. Pearl had stayed on the bed, too weak to move. "Was mine okay?" she had asked, thinking only of herself. And then the reality sunk in. Adri was going to die.

Pearl thought about this now, as all the old ladies from across the street and from the market came to tell her how "sorry" they were about Adri's death. There was Mrs. Li walking up to her, in her silk red dress, and telling her what a tragedy it was that she was all alone.

Then, a huge spaceship came into view. It landed only inches away from the apartment Ben lived in. CINDER, of all people, got out. Trailing behind her was some more "heroes", including that weird wolf guy, his girlfriend, the midget, the captain, the doctor, the idiot android (Darla), the stupid princess, and Iko. HER android, her slave. When had she become Cinder's? It wasn't like she cared anyway. Cinder could keep her.

"Pearl!" Screamed Cinder, "Is it true! Did my surgery fail? Is Adri dead?"

Pearl didn't feel like talking to Cinder, so she walked back inside. Ben greeted her at the door. Pearl pushed past him and flopped down on their bed. She started crying. Warm, salty tears ran down her pale cheeks and onto the pillow. She wanted to scream, but couldn't all she could do was cry. Ben sat down beside her, but just let her cry. Her portscreen rang. Ben answered it.

"It was Cinder's midget," he said, "she wanted me to tell you that they are going to visit your mom's grave."

She started crying again. Adri was dead.


End file.
